The Winter Solstice + Intentions: The longest night. The shortest light.
Time to celebrate the rhythms and intentions of life.
Written by Wendy Bright-Fallon
Are you as fascinated by the moon and sun as I am? These forces of nature, day in and day out, no matter the crises or the joy that infuses our life, continue to show up. Their consistency is grounding, nourishing and I’m in deep reverence for the mystery that surrounds it all.
This time of year – in the deep days of darkness, do you become a little sad, wistful and blue? I do. Why are we so resistant to the darkness? To the quiet? Is it because we have something to fear or is it that we crave the light? I certainly don’t like looking into the face of my fears. I tend to want them to stay in the shadows and not shine the light on them. But how helpful is that?
Isn’t the lotus in all its beauty and majesty born from the murky darkness? Aren’t we created in the womb of darkness? Isn’t it the knowing of the dark that lets us adore the light?
In general, our very nature adores the light and resists the darkness – yet we recharge when at rest. What a beautiful time of year to open to appreciate the darkness in a new way. On this solstice day – could we choose to be more quiet and appreciate nature at rest? Nature works hard all spring and summer. What is nature teaching us? Our bodies and mind need time to rest and renew as well as celebrate the light.
Darkness: A time of rest. A time to stop actively creating. A time to discharge and recharge. A time to detox the day, the elements, the hard conversations, the hurt and sadness. A time to release the burdens of the to-do list and the daily struggles.
Light: Life force. Energy. Active creativity.
Both darkness and light are times of precious self-discovery.
So when the sunsets and the moon rises tonight (or in the days to come), perhaps take out a fresh sheet of paper and get curious about your intentions. Use the darkness to uncover and knit some wonder into the coming season with these questions in mind.
for reflection:
What has been important for you in the previous year?
What lessons have you (l)earned?
What developments have been seeking your attention?
What’s brewing in you?
to create space:
What do you need to let go of?
What do you want to leave behind?
Is there something you need to put on a shelf for now to dust off at a later date?
for growth and creativity:
What is most important for you?
How do you want to feel?
What do you want to happen?
What do you want to achieve?
What project do you want to nourish?
To your health and happiness in the new year.
